KFC plans to sell vegetarian fried chicken

Vegetarians rejoice: The Colonel could be introducing vegetarian options to KFC in the near future.

In what seems to be distinctly un-KFC, the brand’s United Kingdom branch aims to have ‘healthier’ menu items available by 2020.

This includes vegetarian options, as well as a decrease of 20 per cent in average meal calorie counts. A number of sub-600 calorie meal options will also be available.

Ways to combat calorie counts include sugar-free-only drinks, healthier side dishes and vegetarian options. But the vegetarian options will extend further than coleslaw.

KFC UK is said to be creating a vegetarian version of its fried chicken with its secret herbs and spices, according to reports by the New York Times.

“Development of the recipe is still in its very early stages, and so the options we’re exploring in our kitchen are still top secret,” a spokesman for KFC said in a statement.

“Once we’ve perfected the recipe, we aim to test with customers this year, and if all goes well, we hope to launch a new vegetarian option in 2019.”

The news from KFC UK comes after the government there announced it was pushing to cut calories by 20 per cent by 2024.

There are rumours that KFC could even experiment with meat replacements such as tofu and soy-based burgers and sausages.

In December 2017, McDonald’s introduced a ‘McVegan’ burger with soy-based ingredients in Sweden and Finland.

The Colonel’s finger-lickin’ good chicken is so popular in the UK that there was national outrage earlier in the year when franchises across the country had to close due to chicken not being delivered. The logistical failure affected more than 400 outlets.

KFC is testing out a new recipe in Britain that ditches its most famous ingredient: chicken https://t.co/dW0kCZTAcn

What about KFC in Australia?

There is no word yet about the chicken shop’s plans for Australia. The introduction of vegetarian options is a reaction to the UK Government’s healthy eating guidelines, with explicit goals for calorie reductions.

Earlier this year, KFC in Australia was shown to be the second most popular fast food chain, after McDonald’s.

In a recent fast food health audit, KFC proved to be the third most health-conscious, scoring 41/100. Subway and McDonald’s took out first and second spots respectively.

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